The City of Ottawa, along with partners, will be conducting a Point-in-Time (PiT) Count this month to help the municipality understand what people experiencing homelessness need.
The count will take place from 12:00 p.m. on Oct. 23 to noon the next day. It is an event where hundreds of people canvass the city to gather the number of people who are homeless. It is a snapshot of the issue in the nation’s capital and can provide information on what people need from governments.
The city is partnering with local shelters, outreach programs and social services to make sure it is thorough and inclusive.
On top of the count, the municipality is also conducting the Survey on Homelessness over five days from Oct. 23 to 28.
“This more comprehensive survey will collect valuable information on demographics, experiences, and the contributing factors of homelessness,” the city said in a release.
The survey will be taken over a longer period this year so it can be representational, capturing populations often missed such as youth, women, Indigenous Peoples and those experiencing hidden homelessness.
The last time the count was conducted was in 2021 where more than 260 people surveyed the unhoused population in Ottawa.
It found that 1,340 people were experiencing homelessness, and 55 per cent of them were staying at emergency shelters. The other half of respondents were in transitional housing (13 per cent), someone else’s residence (13 per cent), the street (9 per cent), treatment centres, jail or hospital (6 per cent), with unsure (3 per cent) and encampments (2 per cent) taking up the remaining.
At the time, the number one reason for housing loss was people not having enough income for a place to live. Other reasons included substance use, conflict with a landlord, conflict with a spouse or partner or an unsafe housing environment.
Almost a third of people who are homeless in the nation’s capital identify as Indigenous, despite the fact they represent just 4 per cent of the Ottawa population.
